speaking to Dr. Randolph to-day, and he thinks the vicar
ought to come back." Then she stopped as Dinah came hurriedly into the
room. Malcolm's unexpected visit had evidently alarmed her.

"Oh, Mr. Herrick, what is it?" she said in such a troubled voice that
Malcolm felt almost afraid to tell his news. Evidently Elizabeth read
his thoughts.

"You must tell us everything," she said rather abruptly; "it will be
wrong to keep anything back." And thus admonished, Malcolm began his
long story--his summons to the Manor House, and Hugh Rossiter's
revelation concerning the Jacobi family. The sisters listened in
breathless silence, only when Malcolm mentioned the words
billiard-marker and valet Elizabeth uttered a quick exclamation, and
threw up her head with a proud gesture, while poor Dinah grew white
when she heard that her boy was actually engaged. "It is
impossible--there must be some mistake," she whispered, as though to
herself--"our dear boy would never keep such a thing from his sisters.
Cedric is so frank and open, he would never have secrets from us."

"Cedric is under a bad influence," replied Malcolm; "these people have
got hold of him and will not let him go." And then he went on to tell
of his interview with Cedric, and his total want of success. "I could
do nothing," he went on despondently; "I seem to have lost my influence
with him. I did my best, Miss Templeton," with an appealing look at
Dinah's sad, sweet face; but it was Elizabeth who answered him.

"Do you think we do not know that," she returned impulsively--"that
Dinah and I are not grateful to you! You have taken all this trouble
for us--you have been to Cookham and Oxford, and now you have come
here, and you are quite tired and worn out with the worry of it all,
and we can do nothing for you in return!" and Elizabeth quivered with
emotion. But Malcolm, suppressing his own agitation, tried to turn off
her speech with a laugh. She was grateful to him--good heavens! she
might as well have offered a cupful of earth to a man dying of thirst!

"Let him finish, Betty dear," observed Dinah faintly; "he has more to
tell us." And then Malcolm produced the telegram and laid it before
them. The sisters glanced at each other with dismay, and Dinah's
forehead was furrowed like an old woman's.

"What is to be done, Mr. Herrick, to save my poor boy from this
iniquitous marriage?" she inquired in a tremulous tone, and Elizabeth's
eyes were asking him the same qu